Does your gift list have you stumped? Can never figure out what to make for Great Aunt Felma? Each day through December 24, we are featuring a fabulous gift tutorial! Check out the 2017 Handmade Holiday Gift Guide for (free!) recipes, patterns and more.

Total Members: 314,829Currently Running With Scissors:256 Guests and 18 Users

My daughter Kira loves Carebears. no, really, I mean she LOOOOOVES carebears. can't get enough of them. she has 2 identical carebears that she must have with her at all times (that I never get a chance to wash, because she might just die if I took them from her.)

so, seeing as how she loves carebears so much, I made her a shirt with them ALL over it. of course, she loves it.

Queen of Carebears. and also the TV remote at the moment.

enjoy!

Tutorial

okay, first tutorial, and I don't have a camera, so it's in LOVELY microsoft Paint! wooohooo! yes, I know, shock and awe. shock, and awe. Onto the details!

first of all, take a measurement of your little one (or yourself!) underneath the armpits. I really just wrapped a piece of fabric around my girl, and added about 2 inches for seam allowances and 'shirring shrinkage' I cut out a single layer of fabric, then cut it in half, so now I have the front and back (the shirt was 18 inches around, by 11 inches long) so I had two halves of fabric 9 inches in width.

so I'm new to this sewing stuff and was wondering how you do the smocking...i would like to try it, but have no idea how it is done. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Your daughter is adorable, and so is the shirt.

So cute! I love that you encourage the toddler obsessions (I sorta identify with that ).

I think some one needs to make a definitive smocking/shirring tutorial for the kid's board. Not me, you know, but someone.

haha, thank you Vegbee! and I may just have to make a tutorial for you.

Quote

so I'm new to this sewing stuff and was wondering how you do the smocking...i would like to try it, but have no idea how it is done. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Your daughter is adorable, and so is the shirt.

Thank you! and I'll do a step by step complete with pictures. It's super easy, but the tutorial will take me a day or two. But I'm more than happy to help!

Ok, so I've been to Spotlight and got the shirring elastic and the fabric (1.5m I hope is enough...)And I've measured the kid so I know how wide to make it.But do I leave 2 inches on each side for seam allowance and shirring shrinkage (4 inches) or just 2 inches in total?